


A Simple Wish

by k_howard_is_here



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Birthday, Friendship, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22761568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/k_howard_is_here/pseuds/k_howard_is_here
Summary: For every birthday since being reincarnated, Cathy had made the same wish. And every year, it never came true.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 110





	A Simple Wish

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the10amongstthese3s](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the10amongstthese3s/gifts).



As the bright sunshine bled through the blinds and into Cathy’s bedroom, the writer stirred and rolled over defiantly. Five more minutes.

Then, she remembered what day it was and gave a groan.

It was her birthday.

It wasn’t that Cathy hated birthdays – far from it. She enjoyed helping Jane in baking delicious cakes to celebrate, and when Jane’s birthday came around, it was Cathy who enlisted the help of Catherine since the others created more chaos than cakes. She enjoyed showering the other Queens with fuss and making them feel special on their big day.

She just didn’t like when all the fuss and attention turned to her.

Cathy wasn’t really one for being the centre of attention. The gifts, the singing the cake…well, the cake itself wasn’t really the problem. It was making the wish. For every birthday since being reincarnated, Cathy had made the same wish. And every year, it never came true. In her heart, she knew she was foolish to even wish for it, because it was impossible for it to ever happen. Her pain was self-inflicted. It seemed almost childish, and yet. Cathy couldn’t resist wishing. She had convinced herself that if she didn’t try, didn’t keep the memory alive, it truly would never be. It was ludicrous, she knew, but for a while wishing it made her feel…content. _At least you tried_ , she thought. Then, the disappointment would settle in, her heart yearning for her one only wish to come true. A birthday wish was meant to be special and secret and this was something Cathy had never revealed to anyone. She held it close to her chest.

Rolling out of bed with a sigh, thinking she may as well get the show over and done with, she padded downstairs and was surprised to be greeted by the usual everyday calmness and civility of breakfast. Jane was serving up the usual toast, Catherine was sat at her usual place at the table, engrossed in a magazine, sipping her morning tea.

“Morning, love,” greeted Jane with a warm smile.

“Morning.”

Cathy quietly sunk into a chair, wary and paranoid. Was this a trick? Was Anne and Anna lurking behind the door, ready to suddenly jump out and shout “Happy birthday!” at her? She waited a moment. But nothing happened.

Sensing Cathy’s hesitancy, Jane furrowed her brow. “Everything alright?”

The writer fixed a smile on her face, biting into a slice of toast and pouring a mug of tea as a distraction. “Yeah…just tired.”

Catherine rolled her eyes beside her. “Maybe you should stop staying up so late writing? Just a suggestion.”

Cathy chuckled. “You know that’s not going to happen.”

“I know,” Catherine grinned, giving a jokingly indignant flick of her magazine page.

The loud thumping of feet on the stairs signaled the arrival of Anne as she made her ungraceful way downstairs. Cathy cringed, bracing herself. Surely if Jane and Catherine weren’t acknowledging her birthday, loud and boisterous Anne would.

“Morning!” the younger girl announced her presence as she bustled into the kitchen, flinging herself into the nearest chair and digging into eggs and toast. As usual, behind her, quiet as a mouse, was Kitty, who gave a simple sweet smile as she joined the table.

But breakfast went by without a hitch. Anna was last as always and even when she did finally decide to grace them with her presence, she too didn’t seem to notice what day it was.

Cathy was beginning to think she’d got the day wrong. Or perhaps, they had simply forgotten? Either way, Cathy was confused but she chose to shrug it off. It was what she wanted, wasn’t it? No fuss, no surprises.

It was how the rest of the day went. It was a two-show day, being a Saturday, so the Queens spent most of the day at the theatre. After the matinee, Cathy freshened up and decided to go for a walk and pick up some dinner. She was going to have a treat day – it was her birthday after all.

When she returned, the theatre backstage was strangely quiet. Cathy figured some of the others must have decided to head out after all. But when she slipped back into the dressing room she shared with Jane and Kitty, she gasped. Her mirror was adorned with a birthday bunting and on her table was a balloon, a prettily wrapped present and a cake, with a single lit candle. As she sat down, pleasantly surprised, Jane appeared in the doorway.

“You didn’t seriously think we’d forget, did you?” she grinned, folding her arms.

Cathy shrugged shyly, suddenly lost for words.

“Well, we know you don’t really like the fuss so we figured this would be a nice compromise.”

The other Queens quietly entered, Jane remaining in the doorway. Anne and Kitty perched on the windowsill, Catherine sat herself down at the furthest away dressing table and Anna leaned up against the wall by the door.

“We’re not going to sing to you, don’t worry,” assured Anne, seeing Cathy grow slightly tense.

Turning back to her dressing table, Cathy gently took the neatly wrapped present in her hands. The wrapping had either been Jane’s or Catherine’s handiwork; Anna had no patience, Kitty got more Sellotape on herself than the wrapping paper and Anne…well, everyone knew Anne’s gifts at Christmas: the one that looked like the paper had been mauled by a dog prior to wrapping. Tearing open the paper, Cathy revealed a simple black rectangular box. Carefully sliding off the lid, the writer’s eyes immediately lit up. Inside was a beautiful, elegant writing quill. It was a lovely royal blue with an intricately designed golden stem and nib. As she handled it, Cathy’s eyes welled with tears.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. She turned to look at each of the Queens in turn in awe. “Thank you so much.”

“The gifted writer deserves the finest writing tool,” Catherine smiled.

Laying the quill back in the box, Cathy leapt to her feet and gave each of the girls a hug, with the exception of Anna, who settled for a fist bump, much to Cathy’s amusement.

Kitty lifted the cake to Cathy. “Come on then, Cathy. Make a wish.”

Cathy took a deep breath, staring at the little candle on the cake. This was it; another birthday wish. But this time, touched by the thoughtfulness and sensitivity of her friends, she had made a decision. This birthday she vowed to live in the present, not in the past. She vowed to not live this year with regret, with bitter disappointment. She wasn’t going to pull herself down anymore: she was going to make a wish that was meaningful and true.

And she hoped, this one would come true.

“Happy birthday, Cathy,” Kitty said.

Cathy closed her eyes and blew out her candle.

She wished for another year full of happiness with these five incredible friends.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea just came to me last night and I thought it would be some nice softness to, well, soften the blow of my recent fic updates! I hope you all enjoyed. Do you all know what Cathy's previous birthday wishes were for?
> 
> Thank you for reading! :3


End file.
